I have been pretty frantic this semester with school and my new Chair position with the SAASC, but sometimes it really does seem like I am on the right track, especially after weekends like the one from which I just returned.
I attended the Western regions Archival Associations meeting in Las Vegas. As a member of the Society of California Archivists, this was a prime opportunity for me to meet many members and introduce myself to the new President of the SCA. (I was also able to get my book signed personally by the SAA president, Randall Jimerson – I’m such a geek!) Association connections are important as they are the real life link to my future career possibilities, something that keeps me up at night! With about 250 people at the conference from all the Western states from about Colorado, west, there were plenty of people to chat-up about how they got where they are now and where are they going.
There were some great talks including the key note speaker, Wole Soyinka, who is the 1986 Nobel prize winner in literature. He was an elegant speaker and his melodious voice was divine! You can listen to him here.
Other sessions addressed various subjects and challenges within the archival discipline including the issues of Archivists as Historians. I am still wrestling with my desire to do research and how I can balance the two or incorporate the two into one career, which may mean a second masters in history. (poor Reeves, I don't know if he could handle me taking another few years to finish school, my stress may kill him! ;)
I went to the conference with a new friend, Sarah, who was the former Chair of SAASC and who now works at Stanford in a couple different archival positions. We had a good time and did manage to get away from the conference long enough to walk around the strip and spend about $10 each at the slots!
This was just the first conference of my archival career (although I did quite a few with Gartner - very different A-type people at those however) - the next conference looks like I will be going to the SAA conference in New Orleans (in August, yuck!) – this is the ‘biggie’ conference of the year and our chapter (i.e. me) will be presenting a student chapter poster at the conference. So much stuff, so little brain power!! :)